Mumbai, April 25 -- The key equity benchmarks hovered near the flat line in early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 22,400 level. Pharma stocks gained for second consecutive trading session.

At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 5.50 points or 0.01% to 73,847.44. The Nifty 50 index added 2.25 points or 0.01% to 22,404.65.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.19% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.38%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1,985 shares rose and 1,669 shares fell. A total of 158 shares were unchanged.

Politics:

The second phase of voting will be held on April 26 in 89 constituencies spread across 13 states and Union territories. The BJP is looking to cons...